A long-forgotten town has resurfaced under Lake Arrowhead in Wichita Falls. Here is part of the chimney at the Halsell school house, on the east side of Lake Arrowhead. The town was abandoned and taken by eminent domain when the lake was built in 1965.Click through the slideshow above to see what's left of the town and other lakes that have hidden communities. less

A long-forgotten town has resurfaced under Lake Arrowhead in Wichita Falls. Here is part of the chimney at the Halsell school house, on the east side of Lake Arrowhead. The town was abandoned and taken by ... more

Photo: Wichita Falls Times Record News

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This once was the main road leaving the town of Halsell.

This once was the main road leaving the town of Halsell.

Photo: Wichita Falls Times Record News

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A bowl, brick, railroad spike, marbles, ceramic bits and glass bottles, which all came from the site of Halsell, which is underneath Lake Arrowhead.

A bowl, brick, railroad spike, marbles, ceramic bits and glass bottles, which all came from the site of Halsell, which is underneath Lake Arrowhead.

Photo: Wichita Falls Times Record News

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A cistern is seen at the town site of Halsell off the east side of Lake Arrowhead.

A cistern is seen at the town site of Halsell off the east side of Lake Arrowhead.

Photo: Wichita Falls Times Record News

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A turn of the century washing machine is seen in the foreground at Lake Arrowhead, where the town of Halsell once stood.

A turn of the century washing machine is seen in the foreground at Lake Arrowhead, where the town of Halsell once stood.

Photo: Wichita Falls Times Record News

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Small items found at the Halsell town site.

Small items found at the Halsell town site.

Photo: Wichita Falls Times Record News

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Two of dozens of horseshoes found at Halsell, which is underneath Lake Arrowhead in Wichita Falls.

Two of dozens of horseshoes found at Halsell, which is underneath Lake Arrowhead in Wichita Falls.

Photo: Wichita Falls Times Record News

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This photograph, shot before 1960, shows the Halsell Cemetery. What is left of the town has resurfaced as the water levels have dropped at Lake Arrowhead in Wichita Falls.

This photograph, shot before 1960, shows the Halsell Cemetery. What is left of the town has resurfaced as the water levels have dropped at Lake Arrowhead in Wichita Falls.

Harry Halsell, founder of the town of Halsell, which is now underneath Lake Arrowhead.

Harry Halsell, founder of the town of Halsell, which is now underneath Lake Arrowhead.

Photo: Coutesy Clay County 1890 Jail Museum

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The 2-story schoolhouse in Halsell, taken around 1910.

The 2-story schoolhouse in Halsell, taken around 1910.

Photo: Coutesy Clay County 1890 Jail Museum

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A map of where Halsell is located in relation to Lake Arrowhead.

A map of where Halsell is located in relation to Lake Arrowhead.

Photo: Coutesy Clay County 1890 Jail Museum

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Officials say as the state remains in drought conditions, more communities could surface, as what happened at Lake Texoma, shown above, when four ghost towns surfaced during severe drought conditions in 2011.

Officials say as the state remains in drought conditions, more communities could surface, as what happened at Lake Texoma, shown above, when four ghost towns surfaced during severe drought conditions in 2011.

Photo: Jpowersok Via Wikimedia Commons

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During dry seasons, a fort that was buried under Lake Waco becomes accessible as the water levels drop.

During dry seasons, a fort that was buried under Lake Waco becomes accessible as the water levels drop.

Photo: U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers Via Wikimedia Commons

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Texas' Atlantis surfaces beneath Lake Arrowhead

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SAN ANTONIO -- The legend of Atlantis, a mythical ancient civilization said to have fallen into the sea, may or may not be true, but a long-forgotten town has resurfaced underneath Lake Arrowhead in Wichita Falls after almost 60 years.

Drought conditions have caused what is left of the town of Halsell, established in 1900 and eventually abandoned before it was taken by eminent domain to build Lake Arrowhead in 1965, to resurface, according to a report in the Times Record News, Wichita Falls.

While the water levels went down, the town briefly surfaced and now is buried again, this time by vegetation after recent rains, according to the newspaper.

The Halsell's were a family who established a ranch Clay County, according to a history published by the Clay County Historical Museum.

Texas isn't known for its natural lakes, in fact every lake in Texas is manmade except for Caddo Lake east of Dallas and privately owned Eagle Lake near Houston. This means there's a possibility of displaced towns, parks, roads and cemeteries at the bottom of any Texas lake, said Clay Church, a public service specialist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

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"The impact of towns is inevitable," he said. "There's a fort that can be accessed in Waco Lake every time the water levels go down."

And with most of Texas under drought conditions, these lost cities will probably continue to turn up all over the Lone Star State.

In the fact, in 2011 the drastically low water levels of Lake Texoma uncovered four "ghost towns" displaced in 1944, according to article released in 2012 by Lake Texoma's website.

The older the lakes establishment the more likely it displaced a community, Church said, as environmental rules have changed a lot since the 1970s. That's probably why Halsell, displaced in the early 1960s, left so much evidence behind and why it was quickly forgotten. Current rules would prevent an entire town from being covered in water.

Once the water levels of Lake Arrowhead rise, Halsell is expected to once again become a distant memory as it sinks back into the water, much like the legend of Atlantis.

Click through the slideshow above to see what's left of Halsell and other lakes that have hidden communities.